Apple, Google Cast Long Shadow over Wearables at SXSW

By Tiernan Ray

During the morning's sessions at SXSW, executives from Jawbone, Pebble and Whistle, which makes a collar for pets that monitor their activity, meandered through a discussion of how to make wearable computing devices that people will want to use.

The discussion had less to do with ergodynamics of devices, and more to do with the kinds of information produced by such devices and what people actually want to know and to share.

Azar Raskin, an executive with fitness band maker Jawbone, suggested that perhaps Google's (GOOG) Glass eyewear pointed the way to an “ecosystem of nudges,” by which he meant timely, relevant prompts or nudges, to a user about local attractions, restaurants and such. He compared that to alerts on a smartphone that he said were less relevant, and often annoying to users.

Steven Eidelman, head of product development for Whistle, said wearables would press the issue of what sort of stuff people want to share. “I might not care that your dog went for a walk, or you worked out,” he suggested.

All of the panelists, including Eric Migicovsky, CEO of smartwatch maker Pebble, and moderator Dieter Bohn of TheVerge, observed the digital overload of people driven to distraction, staring at their smartphones as they cross the Street.

In response to Bohn's question about what comes next, Raskin suggested the next several decades would be about development of a “brain-body user interface,” including the development of a sixth sense, as he put it, that would allow one to be aware of one's body chemistry, health issues, etc.

Bohn asked if Glass would become more acceptable socially. Migicovsky observed that “there is going to be a lot more variability in the form of wearables, the design.”

Eidelman opined that Apple (AAPL) “has set the bar very high” for consumer design, and that anyone who falls below Cupertino's level is going to have a hard time. At the same time, he predicted that the success of devices will follow the “use case” of what an individual wants to do, there personal inclinations.

Bohn remarked “we're all waiting for Apple to roll in.”

Raskin said “we are at the Home Brew Computer Club phase now” in wearables. But he predicted that “at least one company will emerge of Apple or Google's scale” in the next decade or so in wearable medical devices.

“Yes, we have a plan” to deal with Apple and Google, said Raskin, without staging what Jawbone's plan is.

He added, “there aren't that many brands that exist in your head for the kinds of things you want to do,” which meant that there will be only one or two ecosystems that will dominate wearables, just like there is in smartphones. Migicovsky concurred, adding that most wearables will probably not ask you do input much, but will rather push information to you from the ecosystem.

An audience member asked if wearables can be used for entertainment. Migicovsky suggested casual gaming, citing the example of a team member who hacked together a version of the mobile game hit “Flappy Birds” for the Pebble watch.

Eidelman noted that using the Whistle app on a smartphone to check a dog's activity is “not a rational activity, it's more an emotional impulse.”

An audience member noted fatigue with having to update the Jawbone device with new software releases. Raskin reiterated that it is still early days for the category, and it is really difficult to mesh data and design and function. “Where those software experiences go from now, will make or break the conpanies that work in the space. It's not just the hardware.”

The panel also reflected briefly on the threat of malicious access to the wearable. Raskin opined “one bad actor” perpetrating mischief on any platform will “cause some serous thought” about how “open” to make the wearable. But Migicovsky remarked that some apps written for the Pebble had actually made the device more secure for him.

Is the wearable its own category? Or just an enhancement to a smartphone? Eidelman said the wearables trend is just a moment, and that the broader phenomenon of the “connected device” is “much more interesting than just something being worn.”

“For us at whistle, the device just happens to be on your dog,” he noted.

Raskin concurred, arguing “wearables” will have a limited shelf life. “In a decade, it will just be called 'our stuff'.”

About Tech Trader Daily

Tech Trader Daily is a blog on technology investing written by Barron’s veteran Tiernan Ray. The blog provides news, analysis and original reporting on events important to investors in software, hardware, the Internet, telecommunications and related fields. Comments and tips can be sent to: techtraderdaily@barrons.com.